I. Our Beliefs

II. Church History
Hit Counter
Hit Counter

I. Founding

    Six Mile Baptist Church was initially founded on July 25, 1836 as a desire to form “one body” that would be known as the Six Mile Church of Christ. Later that day it was  officially associated with the Southern Baptist Denomination, being named Six Mile Baptist Church of Christ.  In September of 1836, Six Mile Baptist Church joined the Twelve Mile River Baptist Association.  Interestingly enough, Six Mile Baptist and Keowee Baptist tried to withdraw from the Association in 1839, but were denied as they would not give a reason for leaving the association and the Law of the Association required that a reason be given.  Six Mile Baptist Church is one of the oldest still existing entities in the town of Six Mile, predating any other current business or establishment by several years.

 

II. Church Buildings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

III. The Six Mile Baptist Academy

    As early as 1876 there was a desire among the member churches of the Twelve Mile Baptist Association to build a Christian high school to educate the local boys and girls.  After several attempts to charter a new school, the Six Mile Baptist Academy opened on the first Monday in October, 1910.  The school did not remain open for very long, as one of the major buildings (the girls dormitory) burned down in 1919, but the buildings found many uses over the years, including the Six Mile Retirement home housed in the other girls dormitory. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IV. Pastors of Six Mile Baptist Church

**please note that this is not a complete record, but a compilation of available sources**

1936 - 1939: no record

1840 - 1844: Bryan Burroughs

1845 - 1846: L. Fendley

1847 - 1851: J. Chapman

1853 - 1854: Israel Chapman

1855 - 1856: J. Chapman

1859 - 1866: J.H. Burroughs

1867: Israel Chapman

1868 - 1869: J. Chapman
1870: J. King

1871 - 1872: Charles Roper

1873: Jacob Chapman

1874 - 1875: Charles Roper

1876 - 1877: J. Chapman

1878: D. H. Kennemore

1879: J Chapman

1880 - 1881: D. H. Kennemore

1882: JD Wilson

1883 - 1884: J Chapman

1885: R.A. Cobb

1886 - 1889: J Chapman

1890 - W.C. Seaborn

1891 - W.G. Mauldin

1892: D.L. Hatcher

1894: W.G. Mauldin

1895: E.A. Durham

1896: E.M. Allen

1897 - 1899: J.M. Stewart

1900 - 1902: W.C. Seaborn

1903: B.C. Atkinson

1904 - 1905: J.M. Stewart

1906 - 1908: B.C. Atkinson

1909: W.M. Walker

1910 - 1915: B.F. Murphree

1916: J.L. Willis

1917 - 1919: B.F. Murphree

1920 - 1921: F.S. Childress

1922 - 1923: J.W. Guy

1924 - 1925: D.W. Hiott

1926: H.E. Stephens

1927 - 1934: F.S. Childress

1935 - 1939: Harold Smith

1939 - 1941: F.S. Childress

1941 - 1944: J.M. Bruce

1944 - 1949: F.M. Julian

1949 - 1953: A.E. Osborne

1954 - 1959: Sam Pittman

1960 - 1963: C.D. Bessinger

1964 - 1966: Robert Austin

1967 - 1969: J. Ray Allen

1970 - 1974: L.R. Campbell

1975 - 1977: Joey Hancock

1978 -         : J. Ray Allen

 

2005 - present: Ray Longnecker

    The very first Six Mile Baptist Church was a log structure with no windows.  The only way for light to come into the building was through an open door or small cracks between the logs of the building.  This building was used for a number of years until a framed structure was erected on the same location.  There are no records as to when this church was built, but it was used until it burned in 1894.  After the burning of the second building, the congregation nearly disbanded.  There was a great deal of dissension as to whether the church should be rebuilt at all.  When this question was raised at a church business meeting, the congregation found themselves fired up again and chose to rebuild on the west side of the public road. (the location of the current church property)  The third building was completed in 1895, and housed a membership of around 116. 
   

This building was used until it again burned in 1908.  It is believed that the public school was using the church building for housing classes and the fire may have somehow been connected to that use.  Again, the church body found it hard to get support in rebuilding the church.  Within a short time, the church was being rebuilt for a fourth time.  This fourth building would not become the victim of fire, but would rather see a boom in membership and the necessity for growth. 

 

    In 1928 the fifth, and current, building to house Six Mile Baptist Church was begun.  There was discussion of using the old Baptist Academy to house the church, but it was eventually decided that it would be better to build something new that would be designed to meet the needs of the church.  Amazingly, the church was built with very little money.  The members of the church at the time would come together to construct what they could as they had the materials and availability of labor.  One member would donate the lumber, another would cut the lumber into logs, and yet another would haul the lumber to the construction site.  Thus, the current site of Six Mile Baptist Church was completed.

God

There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. God is all powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.

 

Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; 15:11ff.; 20:1ff.; Leviticus 22:2; Deuteronomy 6:4; 32:6; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Psalm 19:1-3; Isaiah 43:3,15; 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10; 17:13; Matthew 6:9ff.; 7:11; 23:9; 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24; 5:26; 14:6-13; 17:1-8; Acts 1:7; Romans 8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:6; Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:6; 12:9; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 John 5:7.

Man

Man is the special creation of God, made in His own image. He created them male and female as the crowning work of His creation. The gift of gender is thus part of the goodness of God's creation. In the beginning man was innocent of sin and was endowed by his Creator with freedom of choice. By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Through the temptation of Satan man transgressed the command of God, and fell from his original innocence whereby his posterity inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin. Therefore, as soon as they are capable of moral action, they become transgressors and are under condemnation. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore, every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.

Genesis 1:26-30; 2:5,7,18-22; 3; 9:6; Psalms 1; 8:3-6; 32:1-5; 51:5; Isaiah 6:5; Jeremiah 17:5; Matthew 16:26; Acts 17:26-31; Romans 1:19-32; 3:10-18,23; 5:6,12,19; 6:6; 7:14-25; 8:14-18,29; 1 Corinthians 1:21-31; 15:19,21-22; Ephesians 2:1-22; Colossians 1:21-22; 3:9-11.

Jesus Christ


Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord.

Genesis 18:1ff.; Psalms 2:7ff.; 110:1ff.; Isaiah 7:14; 53; Matthew 1:18-23; 3:17; 8:29; 11:27; 14:33; 16:16,27; 17:5; 27; 28:1-6,19; Mark 1:1; 3:11; Luke 1:35; 4:41; 22:70; 24:46; John 1:1-18,29; 10:30,38; 11:25-27; 12:44-50; 14:7-11; 16:15-16,28; 17:1-5, 21-22; 20:1-20,28; Acts 1:9; 2:22-24; 7:55-56; 9:4-5,20; Romans 1:3-4; 3:23-26; 5:6-21; 8:1-3,34; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2:2; 8:6; 15:1-8,24-28; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; 8:9; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:20; 3:11; 4:7-10; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:13-22; 2:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 3:16; Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews 1:1-3; 4:14-15; 7:14-28; 9:12-15,24-28; 12:2; 13:8; 1 Peter 2:21-25; 3:22; 1 John 1:7-9; 3:2; 4:14-15; 5:9; 2 John 7-9; Revelation 1:13-16; 5:9-14; 12:10-11; 13:8; 19:16..

Salvation

 

Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.

 

Genesis 3:15; Exodus 3:14-17; 6:2-8; Matthew 1:21; 4:17; 16:21-26; 27:22-28:6; Luke 1:68-69; 2:28-32; John 1:11-14,29; 3:3-21,36; 5:24; 10:9,28-29; 15:1-16; 17:17; Acts 2:21; 4:12; 15:11; 16:30-31; 17:30-31; 20:32; Romans 1:16-18; 2:4; 3:23-25; 4:3ff.; 5:8-10; 6:1-23; 8:1-18,29-39; 10:9-10,13; 13:11-14; 1 Corinthians 1:18,30; 6:19-20; 15:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; Galatians 2:20; 3:13; 5:22-25; 6:15; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-22; 4:11-16; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 1:9-22; 3:1ff.; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 2 Timothy 1:12; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 2:1-3; 5:8-9; 9:24-28; 11:1-12:8,14; James 2:14-26; 1 Peter 1:2-23; 1 John 1:6-2:11; Revelation 3:20; 21:1-22:5.

Eternal Security

 

Because God gives man eternal life through Jesus Christ, the believer is secure in that salvation for eternity. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives this security.

 

John 10:29, II Timothy 1:12, Hebrews 7:25; 10:10-14, I Peter 1:3-5

The Holy Spirit

 

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to the Saviour, and effects regeneration. At the moment of regeneration He baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.

Genesis 1:2; Judges 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalms 51:11; 139:7ff.; Isaiah 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-32; Matthew 1:18; 3:16; 4:1; 12:28-32; 28:19; Mark 1:10,12; Luke 1:35; 4:1,18-19; 11:13; 12:12; 24:49; John 4:24; 14:16-17,26; 15:26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4,38; 4:31; 5:3; 6:3; 7:55; 8:17,39; 10:44; 13:2; 15:28; 16:6; 19:1-6; Romans 8:9-11,14-16,26-27; 1 Corinthians 2:10-14; 3:16; 12:3-11,13; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 5:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; 1 Timothy 3:16; 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:14; 3:16; Hebrews 9:8,14; 2 Peter 1:21; 1 John 4:13; 5:6-7; Revelation 1:10; 22:17.

The Bible

 

The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.

Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4:1-2; 17:19; Joshua 8:34; Psalms 19:7-10; 119:11,89,105,140; Isaiah 34:16; 40:8; Jeremiah 15:16; 36:1-32; Matthew 5:17-18; 22:29; Luke 21:33; 24:44-46; John 5:39; 16:13-15; 17:17; Acts 2:16ff.; 17:11; Romans 15:4; 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 1:19-21.